USA > Missouri > History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 47
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Keeping in mind this disposition of forees it is easy to understand the operations which resulted finally in the battle of Belmont. Grant was ordered by General Fremont at St. Louis to make a general advance and if possi- ble take possession of all fortified posts in Southeast Missouri. Carrying out this in- struction General Grant ordered Colonel Carlin with 3,000 men to march south from Ironton to Indian Ford where he was to meet and capture a detachment of Thompson's troops and then make his way toward Bloomfield to assist in the capture of Thompson's main forces. At the same time Colonel Plummer was ordered to march from Cape Girardeau to Bloomfield with his
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forces, and Colonel R. J. Oglesby with some 4,000 or 5,000 Illinois troops to take boat at Bird's Point, disembark at Commerce, and proceed to Bloomfield to operate against Thompson. These orders were carried out, Carlin starting from Ironton on November 3rd and reaching Indian Ford, twenty-five miles south of Greenville on the St. Francois river but finding no troops, from Indian Ford he was ordered to return to Ironton as it was found to be impracticable to cross from In- dian Ford to Bloomfield with troops and a wagon train. Colonel Plummer marched from Cape Girardeau to Bloomfield expecting to capture Thompson and his command, but found they had retreated. Oglesby started from Bird's Point, landed at Commerce, marched across "Nigger Wool" swamp where he fought a skirmish with a few Confederate soldiers, and then to Bloomfield taking posses- sion of that town. On the arrival of the Un- ion troops, Thompson fell back from Bloom- field about ten miles to Camp Jackson and later to West Prairie in the vicinity of Clark- ton. It was his intention, if pressed, to re- treat across the Blanton plank road from Clarkton to New Madrid. When Plummer and Oglesby found that Thompson had re- treated from Bloomfield they at first deter- mined to follow him to New Madrid. They were, however, ordered by General Grant to return. Plummer then fell back to Cape Girardeau, and Oglesby returned to Bird's Point.
The battle of Belmont immediately followed these movements. General Grant had been ordered to stop the crossing of Confederate troops at Columbus and the battle was the result of this order.
The battle of Belmont was a fiercely fought
and sanguinary contest. It was the purpose of General Grant to seize the Confederate post at Belmont and to hold it in order to prevent the crossing of troops from Ken- tucky.
On the evening of November 5th he em- barked about 4,000 men on transports and ac- companied by a convoy of gunboats dropped down from Cairo toward Belmont, a distance of twenty miles. Eleven miles from Belmont he made a feint at landing and remained an- chored until daylight. Early in the morning the boats were dropped down to Hunter's farm three miles from Belmont, landed and marched against the latter place. The Con- federate forces, while inferior in numbers to the attacking army, fought with great valor and were favored by the dense woods and marshy character of part of the ground. The fighting continued for four hours when the Confederates were driven out from their camp and took shelter under the river bank. They did not surrender, however, and kept up a desultory fire from their new position. The Union forces were disorganized by their cap- ture of the camp and gave themselves up to pillage. Meantime the Confederates were hurrying reinforcements from Columbus on the other side of the river and soon began to press on the Federals. The camp was fired and the Confederate batteries at Columbus fired on the Union army. Finding the posi- tion untenable the Union forces fell back to- ward their transports and were attacked furi- ously by the Confederates. The Union forces suffered severely on this retreat and General Grant himself came near falling into the hands of the Confederates. He managed to reach the transport just as it pushed off.
The victory remained with the Confederates though they lost in all 642 men while the Un- ion loss was 480.
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While the Confederates were passing along he river bank a unmber of acts of heroism were performed; one of them was the act of a ittle boy who was attached to Tappan's Ar- ansas Regiment, one of the Confederate or- janizations, and took part in the retreat of he regiment along the river's bank. As he vent he carried two flags, one in each hand. Che Arkansas regiment was subjected to a errific fire from the Union troops, many were illed and many men who were wounded fell nto the river; among those struck was the ittle boy who bore the flags. He was not frightened by the terrific volley fired into he regiment nor was he dismayed by the round he received. He waved the flags over is head, gave one last shout in honor of the ag which he carried and staggered into the iver and was drowned. His death, which was witnessed by a great number on both ides, was very greatly deplored by all who aw it.
The remaining events of the year 1861 in Southeast Missouri consisted of skirmishes nd desultory fighting. December 11th here was a skirmish at Bertrand, and on the ext day one at Charleston. December 29th Thompson with forty men passed rapidly hrough Sikeston from Hunter's Farm to Commerce capturing stores and then re- reated to New Madrid.
The year 1862 saw the war carried on in Southeast Missouri about as before. There ere no great movements but skirmishes were ought and much property destroyed and suf- ering caused.
On January 7th, Col. Purcel with a Union orce started from Bird's Point to Charleston. ust about daybreak he fell into an ambush nd lost twenty-two men.
The Union forces more and more adopted ne plan of sending out expeditions from the
places in their possession into the lower coun- ties of the district to seize suspected men and property. Many men who were accused of being bushwhackers and guerillas were shot on these expeditions, some were brought to Cape Girardeau and imprisoned. On Janu- ary 15th of this year three of these expedi- tions were sent out. F. M. Smith led a force to Benton. Capt. Lindsay Murdoch to Bloom- field, and Maj. Rawalt to Dallas as Marble Hill was then called.
On January 23d, two hundred men were sent from Greenville then in possession of the Union forces to St. Francisville on the St. Francois river. They were beaten in a skir- mish that ensued. On March 23d, Maj. Ra- walt with a detachment of the 7th Illinois made an expedition from Point Pleasant to Little River. Here he fought a skirmish and then fell back to his headquarters. On April 3d, Col. Carlin defeated a Confederate force at Doniphan. He had led an expedition from Pilot Knob.
On April 13th Lindsay Murdoch conducted an expedition from Cape Girardeau to Jack- son, Whitewater, and Dallas. No severe fight- ing occurred and no organized resistance en- countered.
On March 3d of this year General Pope began the movements which resulted in the capture of the Confederate stronghold at Island. No. 10.
With a strong force he reached New Ma- drid after a terrible march, March 3d. He found the town strongly defended, and pro- tected by the guns of Confederate gunboats in the river. The situation was such that he was unwilling to risk an assault on the town for he feared that even if it could be carried the fire of the boats would render it impossi- ble to hold it. He determined to lay siege to
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the place in form and accordingly sent for through the solid earth. Colonel J. W. Bis- sell, of the 1st Missouri Engineers, was in charge of the work and it was successfully completed on the 4th of April. having been heavy siege guns from Cairo. Pending the arrival of these he directed Col. Plummer with the 11th Missouri to Point Pleasant, ten miles south of New Madrid. Plummer found . begun March 17th. The canal was twelve Point Pleasant defended and entrenched him- self.
Pope received his heavy guns from Cairo and put them into position and opened fire on the town March 13th. An artillery duel followed with the Confederate gunboats taking an active and vigorous part. That night the Confederate forces evacuated New Madrid and Point Pleasant. The possession of these places was of great importance to Pope in providing him a base for his attack of Island No. 10.
The purpose of taking this island was to open the Mississippi river to the passage of Federal transports and gunboats. So long as the Confederate forces held Island No. 10 it was not considered safe for Federal boats to pass that place. The task which General Pope had was one of considerable difficulty. It was thought that the only successful way of at- tacking the island was from below it, but such an attack was to be made only by the use of the gunboats and the transports and these were above the island. The difficulties of passing the island with the boats were very great. It was determined not to risk this pas- sage but to cut a canal in such a way that the island could be passed without danger. The river makes a sharp bend near the island and as it was a high stage of water so that the bayous were overflowed, the engineers under- took to cut a channel across the narrow neck of the bend sufficient for the passage of the boats. There was not much digging because the water was so high, the trees were cut off and obstructions taken from the way, al- though in some places it was necessary to dig
miles long and for six miles it was cut through heavy timber. The small gunboats and the transports went through this canal while the two large gunboats, the Carondolet and the Pittsburg, ran the batteries of the island at night. As soon as the gunboats passed be- low the island the Confederates found their position untenable as it was fortified only on the upper side. They evacuated the position on the 7th of April and retreated to Tipton- ville, Tennessee, where they were forced to surrender on April 9th. The forces consisted of 273 officers and 6,700 privates.
This was the only military operation of im- portance in Southeast Missouri during the year 1862, but there was a constant warfare going on between the Home Guards and the Confederate troops. Colonel W. L. Jeffers, who had been an officer in the Mexican war, organized a company of soldiers and gave the Federal troops a great deal of trouble. On April 6th he defeated a company of militia under Captain Wm. Flentge near Jackson. On August 24th with a hundred men he de- feated four companies of the 12th Cavalry under Major B. F. Lazear on Crooked Creek in Bollinger county. On May 16th he defeated a Wisconsin regiment under Colonel Daniels at Chalk Bluff, Arkansas. This Colonel Dan- iels led his troops into Dunklin county and captured a small steamer on Little river at Hornersville. This steamer was called the Daniel E. Miller. Daniels had also previously defeated a detachment of Confederates under Colonel Phelan about twelve miles from Bloomfield. On October 29, 1862, near Clark- ton in Dunklin county, there was a fight be-
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tween some Illinois soldiers, who entered the county from Columbus and a company under Colonel John M. Clark. The Illinois soldiers retreated after the skirmish.
On December 22, 1862, the Thirty-second Iowa Regiment, then at New Madrid, made an expedition to Clarkton and Kennett seiz- ing property and prisoners on the way.
December 27th New Madrid was evacuated by the Union Forces owing to a curious mis- understanding. This blunder resulted in a court-martial because of the destruction of property ordered by some of the officers but they were held to have acted in good faith.
These were the principal incidents of the war in Southeast Missouri up to the begin- ning of the year 1863. The general tendency was to push the Confederate troops further and further back toward the Arkansas line and for the control of the country to pass into the hands of the Union forces. Some of the skirmishes and battles were victories for the Confederates but on the whole the fortunes of war in Southeast Missouri turned against them and from the beginning of 1863 to the close of the war the forces that fought battles in this part of the state were mostly those that came into the state from Arkansas. It is not to be understood, however, that these were Arkansas troops; they were, a good many of them, Missourians because the armies that operated in Arkansas as well as many of the armies of the east side of the river contained many Missourians.
On January 27, 1863, Col. Lindsay with the Sixty-eighth Regiment of Missouri Mili- tia entered Bloomfield and destroyed much property in the town. On February 13th, part of the Twelfth Missouri cavalry went from Cape Girardeau to Dallas and Bloom- field. They reported no prisoners captured but a number killed.
On March 9th, John McNeil with the Sec- ond Missouri Cavalry made an expedition from Bloomfield to Chalk Bluff where a se- vere skirmish was fought. Seven men were killed in this fight. He then proceeded to Thompson's fort on Gum slough where he de- feated some Confederate soldiers. From this plaee he proceeded to Kennett seizing a num- ber of the inhabitants a number of whom were killed. March 23d part of MeNeil's command went west from Bloomfield to Poplar Bluff and then to Pitman's Ferry. They fought several skirmishes on the way and were suc- cessful in them.
On April 17, 1863, began one of the mem- orable movements of the war-Marmaduke's invasion of Missouri. He entered the state with 5,000 men and ten pieces of artillery from Arkansas. His forces were organized into four brigades. Shelby's brigade of Mis- souri eavalry, Green's Missouri cavalry, Car- ter's Texas cavalry, and Burbridge's brigade of Missouri and Arkansas cavalry. These forces were organized into two columns. One of them commanded by Gen. Jo Shelby was composed of his own and Burbridge's brigade. The other made up of the brigades of Carter and Greene was commanded by Gen. Car- ter. Marmaduke's plans were for Shelby to enter the state to the west, pass by Van Buren in Carter county and then to Patter- son reaching the latter plaee April 20, and if possible to capture the Federal force at that point. At the same time Carter with his eol- umn was to pass through Doniphan and reach Patterson on the 20th also.
These movements were performed on time and at midnight of April 20th, Carter, who was then near Patterson, detached a regiment under Col. Giddings to surprise Patterson. Giddings seized the picket guard of twenty-
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five men, but artillery fire was opened on the town at a distance of two miles and the Union force escaped in the direction of Pilot Knob.
From Patterson Shelby was sent to Fred- ericktown which he was to hold pending the arrival of Carter's column. Marmaduke him- self accompanied Shelby. In the meantime Carter attacked Bloomfield, then held by Col. John McNeil with a considerable force. The plan was for Carter to defeat McNeil and if he retreated as it was supposed he would to- ward Pilot Knob for Shelby to intercept his retreat and capture his command.
Shelby was at Fredericktown April 22d, and while waiting for word from Carter sent a detachment to burn the railroad bridge over Big river. This was accomplished after a se- vere skirmish. Carter reached Bloomfield April 21st, and McNeil retreated as was sup- posed he would do in the direction of Pilot Knob by way of Dallas (Marble Hill). He was followed closely by Carter. On the re- treat he learned of Shelby's presence at Fred- ericktown and turned to Cape Girardeau. Carter followed him to within four miles of the town and sent word to Shelby at Freder- icktown for reinforcements. These messen- gers were captured and Marmaduke and Shelby were without news from Carter until the 25th. Shelby then led his column to Cape Girardeau. He approached by the Jackson road to make a demonstration while Marma- duke drew off Carter's men by the Bloomfield road. The demonstration became an artillery duel and Marmaduke brought Carter's men around to the Jackson road to support Shelby.
The brunt of the fighting fell on Fort B, the present site of the Normal school. Here there were four twenty-four pounder guns. There were four twelve pounder guns on a hill to the southwest of Fort B. These were brought during the engagement to the hill
where the Fullerton house stands. Two of them were ultimately carried to Fort B. There was also a line of rifle pits near the Fullerton house. These were charged by the Confed- erates. Two of them were killed at this place. This house at the time was occupied by a fam- ily named Lacey. During the fighting they sought safety in the cellar. A shell fired the house, but the flames were extinguished.
Finding the town well defended and the fortifications strong, Marmaduke drew off his entire force to Jackson. While here he was threatened by a Union force under General Vandever in command of Iowa troops. These troops attacked Col. Newton's regiment as it encamped on the Jackson and Fredericktown road. Finding himself between the forces of McNeil at Cape Girardeau and Vandever on Whitewater, both being constantly reinforced, Marmaduke determined to retreat. He was followed until he crossed the St. Francois at Chalk Bluffs, fighting being continued during the retreat.
In August, 1863, a force of Federal troops comprising the Third cavalry of the Missouri state militia under command of Colonel R. G. Woodson started from Pilot Knob. They made their way to the south and at Pocahon- tas, Arkansas, they were able to surround and capture General Jeff Thompson and his en- tire staff. These prisoners were sent to the Gratiot prison in St. Louis. This capture came as a complete surprise and put an end to organized warfare in Southeast Missouri until the time of the great raid which Gen- eral Price made through the state.
The last great movement of the Confed- erate troops through Missouri took place in 1864 and was known as Price's raid. At the beginning of this movement Price was in Ar- kansas with a considerable force of Confed-
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erate troops including a large number of Mis- sourians. It was his intention to invade the state, to seize cities, among them St. Louis, if possible, and to arouse the enthusiasm and seek assistance for the Confederate eause from the people of Missouri. He entered the state, after having divided his troops into three divisions ; the first of these divisions was un- der the command of Major General Fagin, who had under him Brigadier Generals Ca- bell, MeRea, Stemmons and Dobbins; the sec- ond division was commanded by Major Gen- eral John S. Marmaduke and consisted prin- cipally of Missourians; under Marmaduke were Brigadier Generals Clarke, Graham and Tyler and Colonels Freeman, Lowe, Bristow, Green, Jeffers, Burbridge and Kitchen. The third division of the army was commanded by General Jo Shelby and among the brigadiers who served under him was Jeff Thompson.
Opposed to Price's army were the Federal forces under General Thomas Ewing, Jr., who was stationed at St. Louis and had command over the district of Southeast Missouri, there being posts at Pilot Knob, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau and New Madrid.
The three divisions of Price's army com- prising in all about 12,000 men and 14 pieces of artillery, entered the state at three differ- ent points. Shelby was on the left and marched by way of Doniphan. The Federal forces at Doniphan on his approach set fire to the town and retreated. They were fol- lowed by Shelby who defeated them in a skir- mish at Ponder's Mill on the Little Black river. General Fagin entered the state to the east of Doniphan commanding as he did the central one of the three divisions; aceompa- nied by General Price he reached Frederick- town September 24th. Marmaduke was in command of the most easterly of the divisions and his route was by Poplar Bluff, Castorville Vol. I-23
and Dallas. Orders were for all the divisions to drive the Federal forces before them, unite at. Fredericktown and prepare for an attack on Pilot Knob where the most strenu- ous resistance was expected.
Shelby exceeded the fifteen miles a day which each division was supposed to march, reached Fredericktown in advance of the others, sent a detachment to Farmington, which place was taken after a skirmish with Federal forces in the courthouse at that place. Shelby waited for a time at Fredericktown and then took up the march toward the north. His command fought a severe skirmish at Mineral Point, destroyed the bridges at Big river, and tore up long stretches of railroad track, and reached Potosi. Here a force of Union troops holding the fortifications and the courthouse were captured. The railroad track from Mineral Point to Potosi was then torn up and Shelby awaited orders from Price. Not receiving them and hearing ru- mors of the fighting at Ironton he marched with his command in that direction in time to take part in the pursuit of Ewing.
As Marmaduke's division made its way to the north Jeffers was detached for an attaek on Bloomfield. The Union forces withdrew on his approach and he followed them. On the 25th of September he fought a skirmish at Jaekson and captured the town. He reached the rendezvous at Fredericktown Sep- tember 26th. Price then with the divisions of Marmaduke and Fagan proceeded to the attack on Pilot Knob.
At this time General Rosecrans was depart- ment commander in Missouri with headquar- ters at St. Louis. When he was informed that Priee contemplated entering the state, he called upon the authorities at Washington for reinforcements and received six thousand troops under command of General A. J.
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Smith, a force that had been destined to Gen- eral Sherman in Georgia. This gave General Rosecrans a force of about 12,000 soldiers, seemingly enough to defeat Price's intention and to preserve the state from the Confed- erate raid.
The forces came in conflict at Pilot Knob. General Rosecrans had directed General Ewing to gather his force, consisting of a brigade of the second division of the Sixteenth Army Corps then at Jefferson barracks and with this force to patrol the Iron Mountain railroad in preparation for the movement of the troops under General Smith. Carrying out these instructions Ewing left a part of his force at DeSoto and carried the Four- teenth Iowa through the country to Pilot Knob where he found Major James Wilson in command of a force of a thousand men ; these were companies A, F, E, G, H and I of the Forty-seventh Missouri Infantry, Captain Lindsay's company of the Fiftieth Missouri, six companies of the Third Cavalry Missouri State Militia, Company L of the Second Cav- alry, Company G of the First Cavalry and a battalion under command of Captain Mont- gomery ; having assembled these forces Gen- eral Ewing at once began the fortification of Pilot Knob.
There was already a fort just south of the village-Fort Davidson. It was abont seven hundred yards in circumference and was de- fended by four thirty-two pound guns and three twenty-four pounders. This plain on which the fort stood is almost entirely sur- rounded by mountains, the only exceptions a gap between Shepherd Mountain and Pilot Knob, through which runs Stouts creek and a gap to the southeast known as the Shut-in through which passes the Fredericktown road. General Ewing obstructed the roads and cleared away the timber on the sides of the
hills and dug two rifle pits in order to com- mand the best approaches.
General Price and his army entered this valley by the Fredericktown road through the Shut-in. The first engagement took place on the 26th of September when a part of the Federal forces started from Pilot Knob in the direction of Fredericktown. They were driven back by Price's army into Ironton. General Price followed them and probably would have captured them at Ironton had it not been for the approach of night and a heavy rain storm. In spite of these handi- caps the army of Price was in motion during most of the night and was concentrated about the town of Ironton. In the meantime the Federal forces had been busy moving their stores further up the railroad and in con- structing fortifications. At daylight on the 27th of September, Major Wilson, who was in command at Ironton, was attacked by Price's troops and driven back into the gap between Pilot Knob and Shepherd's Mountain. Here he made a stand and during the assault on his position a detachment of the 14th Iowa was ordered by Ewing to take a position on the east end of Shepherd Mountain and then Wilson was ordered to fall back along the side of Pilot Knob so that the Confederate forces might be fired upon from the fort. A long and bloody engagement followed in which the losses were heavy on both sides. General Marmaduke was ordered by Price to take a position on the east side of Shepherd Moun- tain, which he did and planted two pieces of artillery. The fire from the artillery was very effective and he was able to drive the Federal forces out of the gap and to take possession of it. At the same time General Fagan marched from Pilot Knob and assaulted the fort from that side bnt was unable to take it. When night came on the operations of the forces
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